Judgment (断罪 Danzai?) is the fifth episode of the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime.
Summary[]
Koichi invites his classmates to his Penthouse.
One night, after going out to a bar with his fellow college students, Koichi offers his classmates some tea and snacks in his new home. Their enthusiasm to the new student's gesture turns sour, as Koichi leads him to his Penthouse, which is high atop an abandoned building in one of the darker, shadier parts of Naruhata.
One of the women tries to make an excuse to take off, but Koichi grasps her hands and tries to lead her through the unlit doorway to the building, jovially promising his drinking buddies that they'll have a great time up there. This gesture only terrifies the woman and her friends more, as she lets out a horrific scream at the top of her lungs.
Koichi's campus life debut was a failure.
Word gets around campus over Koichi's failed attempt to socialize, and he's swiftly ostracized and labeled as a creep who preys on unsuspecting students. After class concludes, Koichi tried to look on the brighter side of things since he found such a great place to live, but it doesn't cheer him up since it's a bit too spacious and empty for someone like him.
Later, while he, Pop☆Step, and Knuckleduster are relaxing in his home, the girl gets on the older man's case for smoking indoors, as the latter once again brushes off her whining. Thinking back on his initial disappointment, Koichi feels grateful for meeting those two and making his boring life a lot less lonely.
A mysterious figure is dedicated to killing Villains.
Several months ago, the news broadcast a report on a serial robber and murderer on the loose, who has just been identified as 27-year-old Iyaro Tenba. While the anchor reports that Heroes have been added to the Police search for the fugitive, the situation has unknowingly been dealt with by the time this story began airing. In an alley, Iyaro is shown with a faded look in his eyes and clutching a stab wound on his stomach, as he is looked down by a masked, ponytailed man, wielding a chipped, bloodied katana and a crimson red outfit.
Back in the present, Pop once again visits Koichi's place to relax and work on some songs for her shows. She uses a spare key and enters the space, and is surprised to see Koichi there, which makes the boy remind her that it's his home. The girl helps herself to a container of pudding in his fridge as she asks her teammate what he's up to. Koichi is patching up the All Might hoodie he always wears during their Vigilante work. Pop points out how attached he is to the article of clothing, with Koichi explaining that wearing it fills him with "courage".
Koichi is proud of his hoodie collection.
He then stops working to point out that the girl ate the pudding he was saving for later. Pop grows embarrassed and tries to shift the blame on him for not marking his name on it, but Koichi doesn't mind and promises to buy a lot more next time. The girl grows even more flustered as Koichi admits that he finds this stubborn, combative side of her funny. The high school girl, in reference to her eating his food, then asks her friend why he still can't accept his self-worth, so he won't have to settle for less and do things like stitch up his beat-up hoodie.
Koichi grows cross at her and tells her to take back what she said about the clothing, saying he'd prefer it if she kept her insults to him instead of the jacket. He then challenges her assertion that he's being too frugal by pulling out all his drawers to reveal a massive array of All Might hoodies of the same brand. The young man brags to Pop about the nearly complete collection, as it cost him tons of time and money to amass, and all of them are incredibly rare. The girl asks about the one hoodie missing, which was based on All Might's Silver Age outfit, and he says he gave it away to someone several years ago.
Koichi gave his prized hoodie to the "boy" he saved.
Koichi talks about the day it went missing, when he decided to take an entrance exam for a Hero course near the end of middle school, since he still had the drive to be a licensed one back then. However, he got lost and was starting to run late for the test since he didn't know the part of Tokyo he was travelling through very well. He then heard some men calling for help by the bridge, as they noticed a boy with bright, pink hair drowning in the river below.
Despite his current crisis, Koichi can't ignore the call for aid, as he strips to his boxers and jumps into the freezing cold water after the distressed child. Luckily, the water is shallow for someone of the middle schooler's height, and Koichi is able to get the boy to safety. As they're getting dried off and heated up, Koichi gives the child his Silver Age All Might hoodie and slides off to try and make it to his exams.
Pop still has her savior's hoodie.
Unfortunately, he ended up late and wasn't allowed to take it, and Koichi considers that day and the relinquishing of his hoodie to be the death of his heroic spirit. He thinks back to that unknown boy he saved and imagines him several years in the future as a fully-fledged Pro Hero, talking to a reporter about Koichi's rescue being his motivation to become one himself. Pop thinks his fantasy is stupid and leaves the Penthouse in frustration, as Koichi complains that she brushed off so easily and that the girl isn't seeing him in a better light.
As the girl Leaps home and holes up in her room, Pop dwells on the real reasons she was upset and left in such a hurry: because Koichi was once again settling for less than what she feels is right for him, and the fact that he didn't recognize that she was the "boy" he rescued on the way to his entrance exam. That day, Pop accidentally slipped on a puddle and fell into the water, as she tried to Leap over the river to take a shortcut like she normally did.
Pop leaps her way towards Koichi's home.
While it was a bittersweet memory to Koichi, Pop says she never stopped thinking about the time he saved her after she fell in the water, and she didn't expect years later to run into him again as the "Nice Guy" and be saved by him a second time. After recognizing Koichi, Pop never found the right time to come clean about her identity to him.
The girl once again gets annoyed from remembering Koichi's admittance to him liking the stubborn side of her and tries to prove herself as nicer than he believes. She Leaps back to the Penthouse, with some freshly brought pudding to share with Koichi, and a drive to finally tell her teammate the truth about the "boy" he saved from the river that day. As she leaps high into the night, she thanks Koichi for all the times he saved her and apologizes for making him miss his exam. She then admits that he's always been a real Hero to her.
Knuckleduster's presence ruins Pop's opportunity to tell Koichi the truth.
When she makes it back, just as she's about to confess to Koichi, she finds Knuckleduster lounging around the Penthouse, scaring her off from what she idealized as a private revelation between the two. After Knuckleduster eats Koichi's pudding, and Pop barks at the college student to not ask about the bag containing his lost hoodie, she then takes off in another flustered storm. Koichi is left in the dark again about what's been bothering the girl, as Knuckleduster wonders why Pop even came over if she wasn't planning on staying long.
Pop returns home frustrated for chickening out and slips the hoodie on to console herself, thinking back to Koichi's words that wearing it fills you with "courage". While telling the young man the truth is something she has no trouble motivating herself to do, she wishes that actually going through with it was just as easy.
Encountering a transformed Akira causing trouble yet again.
The next morning, the Hardening Instant Villain, Akira Iwako, is released from police custody after questioning him on the identity of the person who gave him his supply of Trigger. He is later shown taking a walk in the late evening before running into Kuin, dangling a vial with a new batch of Trigger that she's dying for him to try. The narcotic contains a new cocktail formula she and her associates are testing out called "TR-D2C".
Akira once again thrashes through the city on a drug-fueled rampage with his Hardening Quirk, while Kuin surveys him remotely using her worker bees. The Crawler and Pop☆Step are quick on the scene to stop him, recognizing him from their last encounter; Knuckleduster couldn't join them this time, as he told his teammates that he had some business outside of Vigilante work to take care of tonight.
Kuin takes notes on the drug's effects on Akira.
The Crawler wonders why Akira hasn't been imprisoned yet for his previous attack, and Pop explains that someone needs to commit several Quirk-based offenses before they can be legally charged as a Villain. The Crawler slides in and tries to stop Akira from causing any more damage, and the Instant Villain soon turns his attention on the Vigilante upon recognizing him from before.
The Crawler dodges a massive hit from the thug and gleefully cheers that Akira got his codename right, although Pop berates him that this is not the time to rejoice about it. Since the two don't have the muscle to deal with the Villain since Knuckleduster is absent, Koichi plans to draw him out of the city and asks Pop to shout for the Police using her microphone.
The Crawler's stumble leaves him defenseless against Akira.
The stalling takes the two men out to a small parking lot. The Crawler continues to evade the furious Akira's attacks, which destroy the parking lot's pavement with each blow. Koichi quickly realizes that the Villain is much faster and stronger than the last time he faced him.
In a fast-food restaurant, Kuin continues to observe the fight through one of her bees. She is analyzing and taking notes on the effects of the TR-D2C drug she gave Akira. She confirms a stronger boost in aggression and Quirk strength but grumbles not being able to obtain more detailed data. Her thoughts are interrupted when two of her classmates ask her what she's doing, and Kuin replies she's writing a report for her part-time job.
The Crawler is saved by a mysterious Vigilante.
Back to the fight, The Crawler continues to dodge Akira's attacks, but the pavement ended in such bad condition that he eventually loses his footing as Akira closes in for a powerful strike. The student is then saved by the arrival of a masked figure with a katana, who intervenes and stops Akira's attack; this unexpected outcome piques Kuin's interest.
The masked figure slashes several times against Akira, and although he cannot hurt him due his hardened body, it's obvious that Akira cannot cope with this new foe. Pop then shouts to the group that the Police are arriving, which makes Akira scurry off into the city. The Crawler then thanks the mysterious man for saving him, who introduces himself as Stendhal, another Vigilante, and tells him they'll meet again before jumping off into the night.
Koichi speaks enthusiastically about Stendhal.
The next day, while Koichi is gushing to Knuckleduster about Stendhal, Pop receives a message from Ichimoku and Jube, who informs the Vigilantes about a legendary alum from the former's middle school that could be of help to them as another fighter, as the stranger is a fan of their work and wishes to help them in their causes.
Koichi is excited to collaborate with other local covert Heroes in order to get better at helping other people, but Knuckleduster is wary on uncovering so many people fighting using their own unique sense of right and wrong. Koichi is sketched out by his brash, battle-hungry master of all people giving him this warning, and Pop reminds the college student to not take the older man's statements too seriously.
Koichi and Pop aren't happy to see Soga again.
Later that evening, they meet up with the middle schoolers and this mysterious potential ally at a diner near the train station, which turns out to be Soga. The two Vigilantes are rightfully frightened and uncomfortable with meeting the "Dox and Murder Man" as Pop puts it, who tried to humiliate and kill them several months ago.
With the meet-up going nowhere and the middle schoolers embarrassed for unknowingly upsetting their allies, Soga decides to leave annoyed that they wrote him off and wouldn't hear him out. Koichi wonders what Soga wants to discuss, but Pop asks him to forget about Soga since he is not worth it.
Stendhal ends Akira's life.
Meanwhile, a still transformed Akira is crawling around the quieter parts of Naruhata. Suddenly, a throwing knife strikes him and he turns around, only to be struck in the left eye by another knife. Akira screams in pain as more knives are stabbed into his body despite his Quirk.
Stendhal then comes out from the shadows, revealing that he threw the knives after realizing his eyes aren't reinforced by his Quirk, and that the ability starts to wear off when he's overwhelmed by pain and fear. He then brandishes his katana at the criminal and admonishes the Instant Villain for his lack of conviction when he uses his Quirk. Stendhal then says someone who wields power without conviction is committing a crime, and anyone who falls to crime is a Villain.
Ready to go hunting for his next target.
Stendhal then unleashes judgement on Akira and slices the criminal in one clean stroke with his katana, killing the man instantly and becoming stained with his blood. The Instant Villain was just one of his many targets in his Vigilante work, and Stendhal looks through his photos of them to settle on his next victims: Soga and his crew. Up from above, Kuin looks down at Stendhal, with a crazed interest in his actions.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- The Crawler
- Pop☆Step
- Knuckleduster
- Iyaro Tenba (Debut)
- Stendhal
- All Might (Pictured)
- Akira Iwako
- Kuin Hachisuka
- Soga Kugisaki
- Ichimoku Samazu
- Jube Namimaru
- Rapt Tokage (Flashback)
- Moyuru Tochi (Flashback)
Quirks[]
- Leap
- Spike (Flashback)
- Hardening
- Slide and Glide
- Kowtow Evasion (Flashback)
- Queen Bee
- Lizard
Locations[]
Battles & Events[]
Anime & Manga Differences[]
- Koichi's attempt to take his classmates to his Penthouse, followed by being ostracized at school, is presented as a flashback in the manga, while it occurs at a nondescript time in the anime.
- Koichi first moving into his Penthouse is not included in the anime.
- The college students gossiping about Koichi is extended in the anime.
- This is followed by a new scene showing Pop and Knuckleduster bickering and Koichi glad for their presence.
- The anime adds an original scene showing a newscast reporting on the crimes of a villain named Iyaro Tenba, who is then killed in an alley by Stendhal.
- The anime extends Koichi showing off his hoodie collection to Pop.
- The anime expands on Koichi's vision of the future of the "boy" he saved.
- When Kazuho looks at Koichi's hoodie in her room, the memories shown in the anime are different from those in the manga.
- When Koichi asks Pop if she brought any pudding for him, she tells Koichi that Knuckleduster is eating his in the anime.
- In the anime, when Pop wears the All Might hoodie and says Koichi's line about giving you courage, she sings it.
- The anime includes scenes of Akira being interrogated, released from prison, and meeting Kuin, who gives him more Trigger.
- In the manga, a textbox showing what Akira's been charged with is displayed as Pop explains why he hasn't been imprisoned.
- While Koichi is pursued by Akira, in the manga Pop calls Knuckleduster for advice, and he tells her that Koichi doesn't stand a chance and suggests buying time and to call the police. In the anime, the call is omitted and changed to Koichi being the one who decides to buy time and telling Pop to call the police.
- The anime doesn't include the civilians cheering on Koichi for keeping Akira distracted.
- Pop calls Soga the "Dox and Murder Man" instead of the "Rape and Murder Man" during their reunion, since he never threatened her with the latter combination of crimes when he harassed her in the anime.
- The anime slightly alters Stendhal's second confrontation with Akira.
- In the manga, Akira knocks over a trash can while he's running through the alley. In the anime, he knocks over a recycling bin and stumbles into a vending machine.
- In the manga, Stendhal sticks a knife in Akira's right eye, while in the anime it is in the left. After this, in the manga he throws more knives at Akira's back, while in the anime he throws them at his chest and knees.
- The anime shows Akira cowering in fear of Stendhal as he monologues to the Villain.
- The anime partially shows Akira's dead body after Stendhal delivers his killing blow.
- When Kuin marvels over Stendhal's murder, it's after he started looking at photos of his targets in the anime.
[]
| Vigilantes Beginnings Arc | |
|---|---|
| Chapters | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 6+α • 6+β • 7 • 7.5 • 8 |
| Volumes | 1 • 2 • 3 |
| Episodes | |
| Battles and Events | Nice Guy & Knuckleduster vs. Soga, Moyuru and Rapt • Knuckleduster vs. Eraser Head • Naruhata Vigilantes & Eraser Head vs. Mario, Soga, Moyuru and Rapt • The Crawler & Knuckleduster vs. Akira Iwako • Naruhata Vigilantes vs. Teruo Unagisawa • Pro Heroes vs. Instant Villains • Pro Heroes vs. Suicide Bomber • Knuckleduster vs. Junkie Villain • Ingenium vs. Bat Villain • Team Idaten & Naruhata Vigilantes vs. Bat Villain |
| Stendhal Arc | |
|---|---|
| Chapters | 9 • 9.5 • 10 • 11 |
| Volumes | 2 |
| Episodes | |
| Battles and Events | Stendhal vs. Abegawa Tenchu Kai • The Crawler & Stendhal vs. Akira • The Crawler, Knuckleduster & Soga vs. Stendhal |